Chief Executive Officer

Banyan Software • Dublin, OH

12d

About The Position

Northwoods is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead its next chapter, growing its position as a trusted partner for county health and human services agencies while expanding into new HHS markets, including state agencies. The CEO will have full P&L responsibility and accountability for financial performance, organizational health, and strategic execution. The role combines continued county-market growth with expansion into new markets, AI-enabled product development, and disciplined, profitable operations.

The CEO will lead relationships with state HHS leaders, state CIOs, county HHS directors, and ecosystem partners; oversee product strategy and launches; and build the capture, delivery, and partnership capabilities needed for statewide work. The position also requires developing the existing leadership team, preserving Northwoods’ caseworker-first culture, and balancing investment in growth with consistent financial performance.

Northwoods has served state and county HHS agencies for more than 20 years. Its Traverse platform supports roughly 45,000 caseworkers across child welfare, child support, economic assistance, and adult services. Grove pairs trained specialists with Traverse to take administrative work off caseworkers’ plates. Northwoods is part of Banyan Software, which acquires and grows software companies with a long-term ownership approach. The role is based in Dublin, Ohio, or remote in the USA, with travel.

Requirements

• Owned a P&L as CEO, President, GM, or equivalent at a software business serving state or local government.
• Built or scaled a business in the state and local HHS market and earned the trust of agency leaders.
• Know the HHS programs supported, relevant stakeholders and policy environment, and how agencies buy and implement technology.
• Provide references from state and county agency leaders with whom you have worked.
• Demonstrated ability to invest in a long-cycle opportunity while continuing to grow and protect a faster-moving core business.
• Launched and grown a product, with the ability to discuss its adoption, revenue, and margin results.

Nice To Haves

• Captured and delivered a statewide HHS system, or played a leading role in one, including federal funding and approval processes.
• Entered an adjacent market with an existing product or platform.
• Experience across multiple HHS programs and federal oversight agencies.
• Working experience with federal funding strategies, modular modernization efforts, and state HHS procurement.
• Leadership experience at a commercial HHS software vendor, rather than solely at a systems integrator.
• Built AI-enabled products for regulated data.
• Experience in private equity, permanent-capital, or investor-owned environments.

Responsibilities

• Set and execute a multi-year strategy that grows the county business and expands into new HHS markets.
• Prioritize opportunities based on market need, funding, and Northwoods’ ability to win while keeping the product scalable and productized.
• Personally lead relationships with state HHS leaders, state CIOs, and county HHS directors.
• Lead statewide capture from pre-RFP shaping through award and contract negotiation.
• Build effective partnerships across the HHS ecosystem, including with systems integrators.
• Apply working knowledge of federal funding and approval processes to pricing and deal structure.
• Sustain land-and-expand momentum and reference networks in county markets.
• Own product strategy and roadmap for all products and solutions.
• Launch new products with clear adoption, revenue, and margin targets.
• Use AI to increase caseworker capacity and engineering productivity.
• Build a delivery organization prepared for larger, more complex implementations.
• Protect service quality for existing customers during expansion.
• Run a disciplined operating cadence with strong forecasting, cost visibility, and accountability.
• Lead and develop the existing leadership team, and add talent where needed.
• Preserve Northwoods’ mission-driven, caseworker-first culture and model accountability, transparency, and integrity.
• Balance investment in new growth with consistent, profitable performance.

Benefits

• Autonomy in a long-term ownership environment.
• Access to a trusted peer community of software CEOs.
• Optional operating resources without losing independence.
• Meaningful participation in value created through EBITDA growth and multiple expansion.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed